Tura, June 10: Action has been sought by a village nokma to cancel the illegal sale of precious tribal land that was clandestinely disposed off to non-tribal residents of Assam by three Garo women and a man in Boldamgre village of South-West Garo Hills district.

The sale is illegal and a serious crime because it has violated the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act laws of 1972 which prohibits the sale of tribal land to non-tribals.

The nokma and custodian of the clan land, Boldamgre Aking land nokma Challang M Marak submitted an official complaint to GHADC CEM Albinush Marak pointing out the illegal sale and demanding its revoking and prohibiting the issue of a land deed or patta.

The three women and men who stand accused of the illegal sale have been named by the nokma in his complaint as Smti. Nanda Sangma, Smti. Meena Sangma, Smti. Metel Sangma and Shri Batjing Marak, all from the same village who were gifted large tracts of land by their clan for agriculture purposes.

The land, according to the nokma in his complaint, stated that it was given under clear rules of the land that it cannot be sold or gifted to non-tribals since it is a tribal land.

However, the four accused persons allegedly sold their land to two Assam based individuals, namely, Shri Perajul and shri Kobidul and to distract the village elders had been instigating violence among the people residing in the same village. A separate police FIR has since been filed against the accused by the nokma in the Singimari police station..